216: I asked you to draw a cleansing talisman, and you just whitened out the void?

Myriad Dao Divine Mountain, early morning.

Clouds and mist swirled, and Immortal Cranes cried out.

The newly promoted Disciples had already begun their first day of morning practice. In the square, Xiao Zhan's blood and Qi surged like a Dragon, causing the air to burst with every punch he threw; Yue Qinghan sat cross-legged on a sword stone, her surrounding Sword Qi expanding and contracting, tearing through the morning breeze; even Xie Lan, the seemingly frail Little Demoness, flickered in and out of the shadows with her elusive movement technique.

Only Shen Nanxi stood in the corner, holding a broom and staring blankly.

He possessed a Trash Spiritual Root.

Last night, he had tried all night to guide Qi into his body. Forget about a feeling of Qi, he didn't even sense a fart. The active Spiritual Qi particles in the air seemed to detour around him in disdain the moment they touched his body, as if he were an insulator.

"Junior Martial Uncle, morning!"

A simple, honest voice interrupted his thoughts.

Shen Nanxi jumped, nearly dropping the broom in his hand.

He looked back and saw a dark-skinned youth wearing coarse linen clothes, grinning at him.

Shen Nanxi recognized this person.

Ye Chengshan, the Personal Disciple of Senior Brother Ye Chenfeng, and the Sect's legendary figure, “Er Gou.” It was said he was already a super powerhouse in the Mahayana stage—a Land Immortal in the Lower Realm.

"Ju... Junior Martial Nephew Ye."

Shen Nanxi stammered his greeting, his face flushed.

A Mortal being called Junior Martial Uncle by a Mahayana Cultivator.

The feeling was like an ant being called Grandpa by an elephant—nothing but panic.

"Junior Martial Uncle, are you... comprehending the Dao of sweeping?"

Ye Chengshan scratched his head, looking at the broom in Shen Nanxi's hand with deep admiration.

"Grandmaster said the Great Dao is simple. Since Junior Martial Uncle does not cultivate spiritual power, you must be walking a path we cannot understand! This sweeping must hold profound meaning!"

Shen Nanxi: "..."

No, I am not.

I just feel like a piece of Trash and wanted to do some chores to earn my keep.

"Shoo, shoo, don't disturb your Junior Martial Uncle's enlightenment."

Just as Shen Nanxi was so embarrassed he wanted to find a hole to crawl into, a lazy voice sounded beside his ear.

"Shen Nanxi, get over here."

...The Sect Master's courtyard.

Chu Xuanjin was still lying on the Grand Tutor's Chair, fiddling with two walnuts he had gotten from somewhere.

Shen Nanxi stood rigidly to the side with his head bowed, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Do you think you're Trash?"

Chu Xuanjin opened his mouth without opening his eyes.

Shen Nanxi's body trembled, and he bit his lip, remaining silent.

"Do you think you're embarrassing the Sect?"

Chu Xuanjin continued to ask.

Shen Nanxi lowered his head even further, his nails digging deeply into his palms.

"Raise your head."

Chu Xuanjin's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

Shen Nanxi slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

"Revered Master, I..."

"Shut up."

Chu Xuanjin waved his hand.

Crash.

A pile of items appeared out of thin air, haphazardly stacked on the stone table.

There was a stack of the most common yellow paper, a box of inferior cinnabar used by Mortal Daoists, and a broken wolf-hair brush whose bristles were nearly worn bald.

And a thin booklet, with a few crooked words written on the cover—Introduction to Mortal-Grade Talismans.

This was the junk Chu Xuanjin had just had the System scavenge from a corner, likely the relic of some Lower Realm charlatan.

"Since you can't achieve Immortal Ascension, learn a craft."

Chu Xuanjin pointed to the items on the table.

"From today on, stop practicing Qi. You will draw Talismans for me."

Shen Nanxi was stunned.

Draw Talismans?

But doesn't drawing Talismans also require Spiritual Qi to activate? Without Spiritual Qi, what he draws is just a ghost Talisman, worse than a piece of scrap paper!

"Revered Master, this Disciple... has no spiritual power."

"Who told you that drawing Talismans requires spiritual power?"

Chu Xuanjin opened his eyes and sat up straight, his deep eyes fixed on Shen Nanxi.

"A Talisman is the texture of heaven and earth."

"As long as your texture is correct, heaven and earth will naturally respond to you."

"Spiritual power? That's just a key. If you don't have the key, can't you just smash the door open?"

This set of heretical nonsense completely bewildered Shen Nanxi.

Smash... smash it open?

"Take this."

Chu Xuanjin tossed the tattered book into Shen Nanxi's arms.

"Open the first page. See that 'Cleaning Talisman'? It's the simplest one."

"Go back and draw it."

"Keep drawing until I am satisfied."

Shen Nanxi held the book, looking at the pile of junk. Although his heart was still full of doubts, his Revered Master's words were a sacred decree to him.

"Yes! This Disciple obeys!"

He scooped up the yellow paper and cinnabar from the table and ran off, as if a dog were chasing him.

Watching the departing figure of the youth, Chu Xuanjin lay back down on the rocking chair.

In his mind, the System prompt sounded.

[Ding! Host grants Disciple Shen Nanxi 'Introduction to Mortal-Grade Talismans' (Trash), triggering Ten Thousand Times Critical Return!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: divine rank · Primordial Talisman Origin True Scripture!]

[Ding! Host grants Disciple Shen Nanxi Mortal-Grade Talisman Brush (Trash), triggering One Hundred Thousand Times Critical Return!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Innate Spirit Treasure · Judge's Brush (Replica)!]

Chu Xuanjin curled his lip.

"More high-end goods. He can't use them yet."

What he wanted was for Shen Nanxi to achieve enlightenment on his own.

The Innate Talisman Origin Physique.

The most abnormal thing about this Physique was that he himself was the carrier of the Dao.

Drawing Talismans with spiritual power was borrowing the power of heaven and earth.

Drawing Talismans with this Physique was commanding heaven and earth to work.

The two were not the same concept at all... Back at his residence.

Shen Nanxi locked himself in the woodshed.

This place was originally used to store sundries, but now it became his "Talisman Chamber."

He opened the Introduction to Mortal-Grade Talismans.

The first page: Cleaning Talisman.

It had only a few strokes, with twisted lines that looked like tadpoles.

Function: Removes dust from clothing.

This was the lowest and most insignificant Talisman in the Cultivation World, usually used by Qi Condensation Layer 1 apprentices for practice. Anyone with a bit of cultivation would just use the Dust Purification Technique.

"Cleaning..."

Shen Nanxi took a deep breath, picked up the bald brush, and dipped it in cinnabar.

He had no spiritual power.

He could only focus intently on the pattern, trying to engrave every turn and every dot into his mind.

He put the brush down.

Sizzle—

The yellow paper was immediately ripped.

A Mortal's strength made it difficult to control the soft brush.

Shen Nanxi was not discouraged.

He switched to a new sheet and continued.

The second sheet, the line was crooked.

The third sheet, the ink dripped, smearing the whole thing... From early morning to dusk.

The scrap paper in the woodshed piled up into a small mountain.

Shen Nanxi's fingers were stained crimson with cinnabar, and his wrist ached as if it were about to break.

But he kept drawing.

For some reason, as he concentrated on the lines, a strange rhythm seemed to awaken within his body.

He couldn't feel Spiritual Qi.

But he could feel the "lines."

In the air, countless invisible lines seemed to be interwoven.

And the brush in his hand was meant to hook those lines.

"No... that's not right..."

Shen Nanxi muttered to himself, his eyes bloodshot.

"This stroke should be heavier..."

"This turn should be sharper..."

He put the brush down once more.

This time, he didn't look at the paper.

His mind was so highly concentrated that he forgot to breathe.

The blood in his body began to boil, and a power originating from the essence of his life surged down his arm and into the tip of the brush.

That was not spiritual power.

It was his 'vitality, Qi, and spirit.'

Swish!

The stroke flowed smoothly, like clouds and running water.

There was no pause, no hesitation.

When the final stroke finished, Shen Nanxi felt as if a wisp of his Soul had been drawn out.

"Success!"

He dropped the brush and gasped for breath, his face pale as paper.

On the table.

The yellow paper lay quietly.

The red Talisman script on it was no longer lifeless as before.

Although it didn't flash with spiritual light or emit spiritual power fluctuations.

If one looked closely, they would find that the Talisman seemed alive; it was breathing, twisting, and generating an extremely faint resonance with the surrounding space.

"This is... the Cleaning Talisman?"

Shen Nanxi was somewhat uncertain.

Why did this thing look different from the one drawn in the book?

The Cleaning Talisman in the book was round and peaceful.

The one he drew... why did it look a little ferocious?

"Let's try it."

Shen Nanxi picked up the Talisman paper and looked around.

In the corner of the woodshed, there was a black stone covered in moss and grease, previously used to weigh down the pickle jar.

That's the one.

Shen Nanxi walked to the stone and nervously pasted the Talisman paper onto it.

"By the Edict of the Law! Cleanse!"

He shouted the incantation he learned from the book.

Although he had no spiritual power to activate it, he remembered his Revered Master saying that as long as the texture was correct, heaven and earth would respond.

One breath.

Two breaths.

No reaction.

The Talisman paper just stuck to the stone like a piece of scrap paper.

"Did it fail?"

The light in Shen Nanxi's eyes dimmed.

Sure enough, a Mortal was just a Mortal. Without spiritual power, no matter how similar the drawing, it was fake.

Just as he was about to reach out and tear off the Talisman paper.

An anomaly suddenly occurred.

The cinnabar pattern on the Talisman paper suddenly lit up.

It was neither golden light nor red light.

But a kind of... ghastly white light.

Immediately after.

There was no explosion, no sound.

The black stone, along with the moss and grease on it, was instantly and forcefully "wiped" by an invisible large hand.

Shen Nanxi was stunned.

He rubbed his eyes hard.

Where was the stone?

The place where the stone had been was now empty.

No, not just the stone.

The soil beneath the stone, and even the dust in the air surrounding the stone, were all gone.

Only a circular, mirror-smooth... pit remained?

No.

That wasn't a pit.

Shen Nanxi trembled as he stretched out his hand and touched the spot.

His finger felt an extremely bizarre sensation.

There was nothing there.

No soil, no dust, not even... space?

The spot presented an absolute, silent, ghastly white color.

It was as if someone had used an eraser to completely rub out that area on a painting, revealing the white paper underneath.

"Junior Martial Uncle! I've brought your meal!"

Just then, the woodshed door was pushed open.

Ye Chengshan walked in cheerfully, carrying a food box.

"Junior Martial Uncle, don't push yourself too hard. People are iron, and rice is steel... Holy crap!!!"

Ye Chengshan had only taken two steps when he suddenly jumped back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, slamming into the door frame.

"J-Junior Martial Uncle! What is that thing?!"

Ye Chengshan pointed at the ghastly white circular patch in the corner, his face filled with terror.

As a Mahayana Cultivator, his perception of danger was extremely keen.

Just glancing at that circular patch, he felt as if his Divine Soul was about to be sucked in and "cleaned" away.

That was not cleaning at all.

That was clearly... Void Realm Erasure!

"Huh?"

Shen Nanxi still held the Talisman paper, which had turned to ash, looking confused.

"That... I drew a Cleaning Talisman just now and wanted to see if it could wipe the stone clean."

"Then... the stone disappeared."

Ye Chengshan swallowed hard.

He cautiously walked around the circular patch and approached Shen Nanxi, staring at the Mortal Junior Martial Uncle like he was a monster.

"Junior Martial Uncle, you call this... a Cleaning Talisman?"

"Yeah."

Shen Nanxi picked up the Introduction to Mortal-Grade Talismans and pointed at the pattern.

"The book says so: remove filth."

Ye Chengshan looked at the book, then at the terrifying circular patch where even space had been "cleaned" away.

He felt his worldview shatter.

What the heck do you mean, 'remove filth'!

You've treated the very concept of material existence as filth and wiped it away, haven't you?!

"Junior Martial Uncle..."

Ye Chengshan swallowed again, his voice trembling.

"Do you... have any more of these Talismans?"

"No, I only managed to draw this one successfully."

Shen Nanxi was a little regretful.

"The effect wasn't very good; I lost the stone. Revered Master told me to draw a Cleaning Talisman, not a Disappearing Talisman."

"I need to practice more and make sure next time I only wipe away the dust, not the object itself."

After speaking, he ignored the petrified Ye Chengshan, turned back to the table, and picked up the brush again.

His eyes were fanatical.

Ye Chengshan stood rooted to the spot, looking at the thin figure, feeling his scalp tingle.

He suddenly understood why Grandmaster had accepted this Mortal as a Personal Disciple.

This was not Trash at all.

This was clearly a terrorist who, if left unchecked, could "cleanse" the entire world!

...The Sect Master's courtyard.

Chu Xuanjin was drinking tea.

[Ding! Disciple Shen Nanxi detected drawing a Talisman for the first time, triggering a 'Law-Grade' effect!]

[System Evaluation: Using a Mortal body to forcibly redefine matter. This child has the potential of a Great Emperor (in every sense of the word).]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining an extra reward: divine rank · Void Talisman Drawing Technique!]

"Pfft—"

Chu Xuanjin spat out a mouthful of tea.

He swept his Divine Thought and instantly saw the scene in the woodshed.

That ghastly white Void Realm gap was particularly glaring in the corner of the woodshed.

"Good heavens."

Chu Xuanjin wiped the tea stains from the corner of his mouth, twitching.

"I told you to draw a Cleaning Talisman, but you went and whitewashed the Void Realm for me?"

"If I told you to draw a 'Lightning Summoning Talisman,' would you drag the Heavenly Dao down here?"

However... Chu Xuanjin looked at the youth in the image, who was once again immersed in drawing Talismans, and a satisfied smile appeared in his eyes.

"It's good to be a little wild."

"A conventional Talisman Dao won't lead to becoming an Immortal Emperor."

"Someone come."

Chu Xuanjin called out.

Space shifted slightly, and Wang Duojin's round figure squeezed out.

"Revered Master, your command?"

"Go, give Shen Nanxi some good Talisman paper and cinnabar."

Chu Xuanjin thought for a moment, then added.

"Tell him not to practice inside the house anymore."

"Go find a mass grave outside."

"There's a lot of 'filth' there. Tell him to go there and give it a good cleaning."

Wang Duojin paused, then grinned.

"Understood! This Disciple will arrange it right away!"

A mass grave?

That place had quite a few ancient ghosts and zombies.

Sending Junior Brother Shen there with that monstrous "Cleaning Talisman"... Wang Duojin was already mourning for those spirits and monsters.

He hoped they could at least keep their corpses intact.

Oh, wait.

Based on Junior Brother Shen's method of "cleaning."

He probably wouldn't even leave behind dust.